The San Diego National Wildlife Refuge is located in southwestern San Diego County, and currently includes approximately 8,471 acres. Established in 1996, the San Diego Refuge will protect, enhance, and restore habitats for threatened and endangered species, migratory birds, and rare plants and animals found in a variety of habitats. It will help conserve the biological diversity of San Diego County and provide important habitat for a significant number of endangered birds. It has been designated a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy.

Most importantly, the refuge is the cornerstone of conservation and habitat protection efforts by the partners and cooperators of the State of California Natural Communities Conservation Planning Program and San Diego's Multiple Species Conservation Plan. These plans provide an umbrella for implementing conservation of and recovery actions for sensitive species and reduce the need to list additional species in southwestern San Diego County.

We are working with the County of San Diego and local community groups in planning a public use program for the refuge as we develop our Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). More information is available on our CCP Update on the Web at: http://www.fws.gov/sandiegorefuges/new/ccp2/ccp2.htm

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Pot shards, 'metates' or grinding stones, pieces of obsidian traded in far off lands, and other remnants of the Kumeyaay native American population who lived and managed land in this area for hundreds of years from inland to the coast are sprinkled across San Diego's refuges.